Prom!

Oh my gosh! Can you believe I have a daughter old enough to go to Prom? It was so fun to prepare for it. Of course we had to go to 10 stores before we could find a dress that was modest and not over $300 dollars. Luckily we were able to rent the dress for a fraction of the cost. Here are the pictures of the exciting night. Poor girl had to put up with her camera happy mother. Bare with me, but I loved taking pictures of her. Also, her dad is in Turkey and needs a play by play on the date. Isn't she gorgeous?

Here is John and Bre going on their day date. Lunch and a movie.

My Brother decided he should be in a picture with them.

The beading on this dress is awesome!

I love these shoes!

Aah! So cute!

I love this picture. Boo is thinking he is going on this date.

John was such a gentleman. Bre's dad will be happy his little girl is being treated like a queen.

Have you ever had one of those week?

Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything that could possibly go wrong does. Here are some high lights of my horrible week. Marissa had a horrible headache and we ended up in the emergency room. Against my better judgement they did a spinal tap on her that caused her to be in extreme pain for a whole week. No one could tell me what was wrong with her. I finally went to the hospital and fought to have them pay for all bills from here on out because the test was unnecessary. After crying and worrying we found a doctor that let us know that she had been leaking spinal fluid all week which was very painful. We finally got it sealed up after a week of missing school. Unfortunately after we left the doctors I was headed to my photography class when I was rear ended at a stop light. The impact was so great that I hit the car in front of me who then hit the car in front of them. The ambulance was called for the car in front of me and I ended up getting x-rays on my back and neck. Luckily it wasn't anything serious I little whip lash which kept me sore for a few days. Of course after getting hit all I could do was just get out of my car a cry. Once I cried I began to laugh thinking to myself "what else could go wrong." My brother heard about what happened and came straight to the scene of the accident to be with me. He was so sweet. He stayed with me all through the accident reports and x-rays at the doctors. Here are a few pictures he took since I had my camera with me. He told me to look like I was dead in one of them. He made me laugh! I love him! Of course there were many other things that happened, but it would take up too much room to describe them all. My brother kept telling me all week to make sure I don't leave any bad luck behind.

Easter

Easter was a very nice relaxing day. We soaked up some long awaited sun in Grandma's backyard eating Easter candy brought by the Easter Bunny. With Grant in Turkey it was just the four of us. Here are a few pics.

Update on the house

I can't believe how quick this is going. Here are the latest pictures of our house being built. The foundation is in and they have filled in all of the dirt. It's getting exciting. I met some of the neighbors who were really excited to have us in the neighborhood. It's a new fun new adventure!

London

Our view from the top of the Double Decker Bus we were riding in.

On the way to Turkey we had a stopover and spent one night at the Lakenheath, England Royal Air Force Base for rest.
While there, Scott Waddell and I had some time to spend with our good friends the Hatch’s. The Hatch’s lived in our Ward in Layton before taking an assignment overseas in England for a few years. It was great to spend time with them.

At Lunch with Kim, Sean, Scott, and the girls.


Wow,
The Hatch’s little girls have grown up.

Military buddies on the subway.

We went to Lunch together at a local “Pub”. Everything is a pub if you want to eat out. They are everywhere in England. When we finished Sean threw us the keys to his car and said go ahead and take it and see London. We knew we would not have the chance again so I jumped in the passenger seat (behind the wheel) and proceeded to head out to the Penning Station driving on the left side of the road through some small towns and then out onto the Autobahn. (1 ½ hour drive). What a rush. I kept thinking I was going the wrong way but we were able to manage.
We caught the Subway and were in London 30 minutes later. We visited great Tourist attractions Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Pauls Cathedral, Parliament, and the Eye of London.

The Eye of London. Too bad we did not have time to go for a ride on it.

Check out the London Phone Booths. I was looking over my shoulder for Harry Potter.

Every time I have these adventures I wish Linda was there with me to enjoy them. I know we will do many of these things in our future together.
We made it back late that night and only got about 4 hours of sleep before needing to jump back on the plane for the second leg of the trip. Being the Troop Commander I was happy that all of the personnel showed up the next morning and we did not have any problems (always a concern)

The New House

I can't believe it is finally happening. They are off and running. They broke ground last week and have already poured the footings. It gets more and more exciting as they continue to build it. The kids are thrilled. Here are some pics.

Hello From Turkey

We went to a local elementary school today.

On the way there we played Soccer at a dirt and gravel yard with some of the older students who get out of school earlier. It was very fun and was the most enjoyable day since I have been here. We didn’t have the most talented group of athletes with us and ended up getting destroyed by kids that must have been between 11-14 years old. The local newspaper came and took pictures of us. We also passed out some toys and I had 15-20 kids trying to rip pens and small plastic planes out of my hand.
After we finished we went to the school.
It is a three story building with 400 students and only 8 classrooms. Our unit has been donating money to have a restroom built because of the terrible conditions of the one in the school. The restroom smells terrible and the walls are deteriorating because of the leaking pipes in the wall and little to no janitorial work. The new restroom is being built and it will improve the conditions immensely. The school runs on only $2,000 dollars for an entire year other than salaries. School teachers make $5,000/year and they typically put back into the school $500 of their own money.
Team teachers but not as nice and friendly as Mrs. Horsley and Mrs. Price.

The day I was there they had team teachers who were at recess with over 50 students.
The school was missing B-ball nets, Volleyball nets, soccer nets, etc.

There are only two Air Conditioners in the entire school for summer cooling and they are located in the Principal’s office and the Teachers Lounge.
They have wood burning stoves in the classrooms and are only allowed 4 pieces a day to burn through the wintertime. Many children receive minor burns if they are not careful as the classroom can be crowded with so many children in a small space.
I thought this was the cutest girl in the whole school.
The Turkish people burn their garbage any place and any time.

Poverty conditions are prevalent and there is corruption in the local government and School Administration. We could not take anything off base in boxes to the school for fear of it being confiscated so we each loaded up our individual backpacks with toys and anything else we wanted to bring ourselves.

I brought some lifesavers and it turned into a small riot when I handed them out. The children were so happy to receive a little treat. Some of them pulled out their workbooks and showed me how they are practicing English.

They were so happy despite their poverty.
Being part of the freedoms and privileges that our country receives is something I am very proud of. I miss all of you and hope all is well in your homes.

With all my best wishes for you and your families,
Grant